Navy surges late to beat Elon in 2OT

Sharita Condie went off in the second half and scored 15 of her 17 points, including a game-tying three at the end of regulation and also led the team with six steals that continually kept Navy in the game.

It was a miserable start for the Navy women’s basketball team but they finished very strong as they were able to beat the Elon Phoenix in double overtime, 73-70.

Navy shot just 17.1-percent from the floor in the first half and trailed by as many as 13 points in the third quarter but the team heated up. Sarita Condie scored 15 of her 17 points after that. Ashanti Kennedy, who finished with a team-best 21 points, score 11 and Bianca Roach scored 11 of her 12 points after that point.

“I can’t remember a game like this,” Navy heac coach Stefanie Pemper said. “This was just incredible. We shot 17 percent in the first half, but Elon never really got any separation from us. We did talk about how we have to want this game more. For our players to stay in it, and us to play so many kids, and them keep believing we could win it was just great. There was a lot of pride tonight, a lot of fight.”

The Phoenix took a 29-22 lead into the break and it took three minute before the Mids could even get a point in the second half. But Sara Jones’ 3-pointer as in the middle of a 9-3 run over the first seven minutes of the third quarter that put Elon ahead 38-25.

Navy hit some shots to cut the lead but with 1:41 remaining in the third quarter Shay Burnett gave the Phoenix their 13-point advantage back with a pair of free throws. Then Kennedy nailed a jumper and the Phoenix missed four-straight shots before Kennedy hit two free throws and Perl Curtis made it a 6-0 Navy run to end the third quarter.

Navy took that momentum into the fourth quarter made it just a one-point game after Kennedy hit another jumper with 6:48 remaining in regulation. Meanwhile, Elon was shutout for nearly nine minutes as the Mids got back in the game. Malaya Johnson finally ended Elon’s drought with a layup to put the Phoenix back ahead by three points and a three by Lauren Brown with 2:18 remaining appeared to be enough to secure their victory, but Roach got in for a quick jumper and then stole the ball, drew a foul and with 1:16 remaining put Navy right back in the game with two good free throws.

Burnett hit one of two free throws a few seconds later to give Elon another three point lead but this time Navy was able to tie the game as Condie hit a second chance three after Justice Swett rebounded her initial miss, forcing overtime.

“I wouldn’t have even been able to hit that shot if it were not for the effort of another teammmate (Justice Swett),” Condie said. “I think that was the story of this whole game. There were a lot of little plays, steals, assists, rebounds, blocks … I hit a couple of big shots but it was because of the effort of the whole team.”

Condie hit another huge three at the end of the first overtime period to tie the game and force a second overtime.

Elon scored the first points of that overtime but Condie hit a jumper then stole the ball, dished it to Roach and she put Navy ahead with a layup. Josepha Mbouma was able to tie the game with a pair of free throws but this time Navy was in control as the Pheonix were playing catch-up. Kennedy gave Navy another lead with a layup, but, a missed jumper but Curtis in the middle of two good free throws by Burnett and a layup but Lauren Brown gave Elon the lead with 2 minutes left in the second overtime. So again, the Mids were forced to play catch-up. And they did and another one of Navy’s 18 steals in the game helped put them back in the lead.

Roach tole the ball from Burnett, who in turn fouled her, Navy got the lead back with a made free throw. With 49 seconds left Nikki McDonald hit a layup to give Elon a one-point lead but Roach hit a layup, drew a foul and completed the old-fashioned three-point play to put Navy back ahead by two, a lead the would not give up.

Swett stole the ball from Burnett to prevent it from happening, Condie hit a free throw to go up by three with 24 seconds left and that forced Elon to throw up desperation shots from beyond the arc. The did not go in and Navy held on for the victory.

Though Navy was out-rebounded 59-43, and out-shit 36.8% to 28.8%, Elon turned the ball over 28 times and Navy consistently took advantage of it and in the end made the Phoenix pay for it.

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Corey Johns

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You could say Corey was born to become a sports journalist. His father won a national championship coaching college soccer. His mother is a baseball fanatic who hasn't missed seeing an Orioles game since 1983 (literally, sometimes it's annoying). His great uncle was a big-time boxing promoter and his maternal grandfather was once a department head at the Baltimore Sun. Basically, sports and journalism run through his blood. He played just about every little league sports there was when he was a kid and was a multi-sport athlete in high school; even playing in the first-ever high school sanction Rugby game in the country. Eventually he retired from sports as an undefeated Maryland state Rugby champion as a high school senior. Perhaps lack of athletic talent has more to do with the retirement, but he will tell you that it more had to do with a great desire to jump right into media. Upon his graduation from University of Maryland, Baltimore County as a triple communications major, Corey started the So Much Sports network and has continued to grow his websites and continues to work to make them premier sports media outlets.

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